Always a Day Away
by EidolonLathi
Summary: Deidara has reached a creative slump he can't see any way out from. All he can say for sure is that his art has become stale and needs some change. In the end it might be Tobi of all people holding the unexpected solution to the question in what direction his art can develop into next. [DeidaraxTobi, TobiDei]


_Summary: Deidara has reached a creative slump he can't see any way out from. All he can say for sure is that his art has become stale and needs some change. In the end it might be Tobi of all people holding the unexpected solution to the question in what direction his art can develop into next. [Deidara/Tobi]_

_Author's notes: The Tobi in this fic isn't supposed to be Obito exactly but is shaped out of the elements of EarlyDays!Tobi._

**Always a Day Away**

Deidara had reached a dead end. Had fallen into utter desperation. Was lacking any new ideas.

"Isn't it about time for you to start forming the clay if you want that batch to be ready by tomorrow?", Tobi hesitantly asked.

Hearing the shy question had been enough for Deidara to lose the last bit of his patience. "Mind your own business! Good bye and thank you!", he hissed, unable to hide his bad mood.

"I'm sorry." Despite his face being hidden away by the mask it was apparent Tobi regretted having said anything to begin with.

"…nah, don't worry. It's okay. I'm not really that mad", Deidara sighed, feeling sorry after all that he had let his emotions explode like this. The thing was, Tobi wasn't wrong; they needed a new pile of clay explosives, their old ones were almost gone by now.

Annoyed he threw a pebble against the ceiling of the small cave the both of them had been hiding from the burning sun of this early afternoon. "But that's exactly the problem here, you know? I'm lacking any constructive ideas. Every clay explosive I did recently is looking exactly the same. Ugh!"

"You mean you lack inspiration?", Tobi asked, ripping out blades of the dark green grass sparsely growing in this shady spot.

Getting confronted with genuine sympathy directed towards his sorrows managed to erase a big chunk of Deidara's still simmering annoyance. "Inspiration? Inspiration is severely overrated, you know? Never cared much about it. When I want to make art, I just start doing it. As soon as I start the ideas usually start coming on their own and then, well, and then the art just flows like this." Tiredly Deidara threw a second pebble against the wall of rock right next to them. He threw a third, more out of a feeling of restlessness than because he was still feeling his acute upset from earlier. "But currently I can't even get myself to get the clay out of the bag and start."

Tobi had been listening intently, silently nodding in agreement. "So, doing art doesn't feel like it used to? Is it that?"

"Like this I guess, yes. It is feeling like… like something is blocking me from doing it the usual way, I don't know."

"I see."

Resigned Deidara got his art supplies ready, getting out the clay. "Well, but feeling blocked is not going to help us here, isn't it? I'm going to make a clay bird, whatever."

That's how it went the next few days. One clay bird of old routine got formed after the other, repeating Deidara's art pattern of old. The clay birds flew, they exploded, they served their purpose.

Deidara didn't like admitting it but camping in the woods during this entire time was beginning to affect his mood. Camping was alright if the weather was nice but the last few days he and Tobi constantly had needed to find a spot to hide from the drizzle that would start pouring upon them during the most unexpected moments. And it wasn't just the rain. Since seven days they had been preparing their food over the campfire.

But Tobi's good mood seemed to be hampered by nothing. Currently he had taken off his mask for eating and was looking with an interested glance at the countless small creatures buzzing around the pond they had come to a rest next to.

Well, at least it wasn't raining currently, so there were probably worse things than looking at a pond right now.

Some ducks swam closer, the hopeful expressions on their faces indicating they were hoping to get some food from the strangers invading their habitat. Giving in to their silent pleadings Tobi started throwing some hard tack crumbs towards them.

Feeling his irritation return Deidara couldn't hold back a groan anymore. "Do you have to go out of your way to get their attention? I'm fed up with birds right now and can't see them anymore, fuck. Clay birds, real birds, spare me please!"

For a moment Tobi looked like he wanted to object but then stayed silent in the end. Shrugging his shoulders he stopped feeding the ducks. They continued eating wordlessly, attention directed at nothing but their food. The silence got broken by Tobi pointing at a reed plant growing at the shore of the pond. "Oh, look! A dragonfly!"

Deidara raised his gaze. Attention getting caught by the animal he felt the directionless unrest in his mind starting to leave for the first time since days. "I can't remember ever having seen one from this up close. Look at its wings, they're so colourful. And yet so fragile."

Tobi proved to be a friend of Mother Nature, continuing their conversation with unexpected explanations: "They look fragile, yes. But did you know that dragonflies are ruthless hunters?"

"Hunters? For real now?"

"Yes. They have super strong jaws and like this can grab everything coming their way. Their prey has no chance escaping once they've got them caught." Tobi's gaze got set on the small animal, expression getting thoughtful. "They're beautiful. But also dangerous. Underestimating them would be fatal."

Deidara took another bite of his food, searching for words. "I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about animals."

Tobi blushed, lowering his gaze. "Uhm, actually, I'm not really, no. It's just, there was something on the TV about them, the last time we stayed at an inn."

Hearing this Deidara had to laugh. "Right, that inn. Would be nice if we had the chance staying in one anytime soon again, no?"

"It would be, wouldn't it? To tell you the truth, I'm getting rather sick of having to camp outside all the time", Tobi admitted, raising his gaze and directing a shy smile at Deidara.

Deidara hastily nodded in agreement. Camping sucked, there was no point to pretend it didn't.

The ducks were still swimming around on the pond, letting hear a quack from time to time and dealing with whatever business it was that kept ducks busy. Like this Deidara could tolerate having them around, he could admit this now.

The next day Deidara started forming clay dragonflies, finding to his delight that making art had started to feel effortless again.

The End

_AN: This fic is also cross posted on ao3. _


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